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Analysis of Students’ Mental Models: Using the Internet in an Authentic Learning Situation
Mary Jane McNally, Ridge High School, Basking Ridge, NJ, USA
Abstract:
This presentation is an outgrowth of a dissertation that analyzed the mental models of students using the Internet to complete an authentic assignment. The study, undertaken to explore the Internet from the users’ perspective, uncovered mental models students held of the Internet, the task, and of themselves as searchers of information. Many information process models were developed before the digital library age. This study worked within the framework of the Kuhlthau Information Search Process, extending it in a digital library environment.
Particular attention will be devoted to:
- Differences between imposed and self-generated questions
- Sources of difficulty experienced by the students
- Affective aspects of the students’ experience.
This session is intended for all those interested in adolescents who use digital libraries to complete assignments.
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